The Amherst Wire

By Kate Bergquist and Eric Athas

University of Massachusetts junior Justin Rose was training with the ROTC not long ago when someone interrupted the session.

“We had a kid drive by and call us baby killers,” said Rose, a 25-year-old veteran.

Rose is one of many veterans and other UMass students involved in the military who share mixed feelings about their treatment on campus. He said he’s had an overall positive time at the university, but has experienced some remote negative incidents.

When the man yelled out his car window during the training session, Rose said he and the rest of the cadets just laughed it off and weren’t upset over it. He said reactions about his military experiences “fluctuate to both ends of the spectrum.”

“It is kind of a bummer when you see someone protest,” said Rose. “But you can’t hold that against the Amherst campus, you can’t let it get to you.”

Rose added that his military experience allowed him to build a friendship with one of his professors, whose brother is currently serving in Iraq. He said they’ve been able to share an understanding of the war.

Lt. Col. David Vacchi, the head of ROTC and a professor of Military Leadership, said when he arrived in Amherst a few years back, he expected to find a rowdy campus full of activists.

“I was led to believe like many are that UMass is a place of protesters and malcontent and problem children,” said Vacchi, a veteran who served in Iraq at the start of the war. “When I got here I was very surprised and pleasantly surprised. The caliber of the UMass student is great, especially for a state school.”

Vacchi said he doesn’t know of any specific professors who discriminated against veterans, but said “it does go on here.”

Although Vacchi outlined some instances of negative classroom behavior, other veterans illustrated a more supportive and understanding academic atmosphere. When asked how his professors treated him as a veteran, junior Tom McGrory praised their understanding.

“They’ll help me out, because I haven’t studied for three years,” said McGrory, 20. “They’re cool about helping me prepare for a test or paper I’m struggling with.”

McGrory was stationed in Nogales, Ariz. on the Mexican boarder between April and August of 2007. He enrolled in UMass this year, after signing on to serve another six years with the Army.

“I thought [the transition from soldier to student] would be easier than it was,” said McGrory, who’s currently a member of the Army Reserves, and plans on being deployed to Iraq by the end of 2009. “I moved into the dorms second semester, so nobody really cared to see who I was…I didn’t know anyone in my classes either.”

McGrory mentioned some people were taken aback when they learned he was in the Army, but no one said anything negative to him. He said he doesn’t mind the anti-war protests on campus, but doesn’t appreciate when it’s directed towards the troops.

“To talk negatively about troops isn’t right,” said McGrory. “We didn’t decide to start this war, Bush did. We’re just doing what we’re told. I’m not embarrassed about any of it. I’m proud to wear the uniform… I wouldn’t take it back, I feel my life is better for it.”

Sophomore Jacob Petrie, 24, spent four years in the Marines and did two tours in Iraq. He said living in a liberal environment like Amherst can be overwhelming at times, but he has never been confronted with negative reactions to his service.

“The only thing I can say about negative aspects of anything is… that I feel a little more sensitive about some topics,” said Petrie. “In a big mostly liberal school in a very liberal town in a liberal state it sometimes gets very overbearing. In the Marines it was much more conservative and that too was overbearing.”

While Rose, McGrory and Petrie served during wartime, it was the ongoing situation in Iraq that played a role in senior Brian Lepine’s decision to drop out of the AFROTC last year.

Lepine joined the AFROTC during his sophomore year because he thought being a member of AFROTC could help him secure a better job in the future. He also said he had interest in serving his country.

Because he entered the program a year later than most members do, he did not receive the scholarship benefits that members get. Lepine doesn’t regret his time in the program and also never encountered negative responses from the community, but did describe what it’s like walking around in uniform around campus.

“You get looks from people,” said Lepine. “They kind of just glance over you once and say, ‘Oh, he’s with the airforce.’ When I had to wear the dress [uniform], I was kind of embarrassed walking around, I was the only one wearing anything like that…I was kind of standing out in the crowd.”

Some students have faced troubling reactions throughout the years, but many say it isn’t a widespread problem and hasn’t altered their opinion of UMass. Despite some remote problems, veterans and other members of the military say they’re welcomed by the local community.

“Some people [had negative reactions] to finding out I was in the Army, but no one said anything to me,” said McGrory. “I don’t think anyone from around here would say anything to a vet. They’d have to be crazy.”